DLA Piper and Racine advise on the Huffington Post's French launch

DLA Piper advised AOL, which last year acquired the Huffington Post in the US, on the deal, which has seen it launch a French edition. The internet company has taken a 51 per cent stake in Le Huffington Post.

Racine acted for French newspaper Le Monde and Les Nouvelles Editions Indépendantes (LNEI), which took stakes of 34 per cent and 15 per cent respectively in Le Huffington Post. LNEI is owned by French businessman Matthieu Pigasse, who took control ofLe Monde in June 2010.

Le Huffington Post is edited by Anne Sinclair, who in a press conference unveiling the new site denied that her marriage to former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn could lead to conflicts of interest.

The DLA Piper team in Paris included securities law partner Anne Maréchal, tax partner Patrice Lefèvre-Péaron, employment partner Bijan Eghbal and IP partners Carol A.F Umhoefer and Patrick Boiron. Washington DC partner Jim Halpert advised on US aspects.

Racine’s team involved corporate partners Jean-Christophe Beaury and Bruno Cavalié, tax partner Fabrice Rymarz and IP partner Isabelle Védrines.